what to expect?.......

[Enrid1968]

So next Tues 18th July I have my first appointment with an endo. I first had symptoms starting I think after a bad cold last November. My mood plummeted and over Xmas I just felt weak, irritable, I finished an on going on and off long term relationship because I felt so down in the dumps, I felt generally weak and kept being sick in the night, waking up, heart racing and runaway anxiety and I just could not pick up. I had had bad year mum dying after two years off cancer, work, partner left, and I kept thinking it was stress. In the Jan I was notified of redundancy this October....another worry, and in March I was exhausted after even a small walk, muscles in my legs felt weak, horrible breathlessness. I came down with what I thought was going to be another bad cold, aching and total exhaustion left me in bed for a week Dr said it was a cold. It developed into nothing just symptoms of a bad cold starting but I was aware that my heart rate was out of wack, still thinking stress!!! In May I could not take it any longer and after another really awful weak I went to dr, he took my heart rate and it was 110 bmp seriously flushed and piling on weight! I felt exhausted and my anxiety was rocketing. He sent me for a blood test and rang me to tell me my thyroid was overactive, then sent me for an antibody test that came back as he expecte, Graves. I'm on 20mg of carbimazole and feel alot better nearly back to my old self but underlying I know and feel not 100%. My bloods came back last week as "satisfactory" whatever that means. I still feel not right! Had my first drink of wine on Sat eve in 6 months which knocked me for six. I'm worried about the appointment I have no clue as to what to expect. I'm really scared about my future and health. I eat well and have managed to drop a stone ( I piled on weight) if I don't find a job this will change. But I know deep down I cannot carry informing theonworking need to do to live or actually my stressful job. Awful. I've changed I just don't have any drive. At a loss really. No one really gets it and say oh it's just your thyroid.....I say ok, wait till this happens to you! You won't say that then.

[Clutter]

Enrid1968,

Basically it is the same as having a consultation with your GP except the endocrinologist should be a specialist in thyroid matters. Your specialist will check that you are on the correct dose of Carbimazole and will adjust the dose according to your thyroid blood levels if necessary.

After 12-18 months on Carbimazole your thyroid will probably re-regulate and you may be able to wean off Carbimazole and try for remission. Remission is permanent in less than 50% of patients who have Graves antibodies causing hyperthyroidism.

[Vbgr]

Hi Enrid, I am going in the same direction as you. Taking 2 x 20 CMZ a day. The proparanol makes me feel a lot better, almost normal but I have quite a way to go with overactive bloods. Has your doc Said anything about testing for iron, folic, and vit. B12. If these are low it can make you feel under the weather. If you get a print out of your results, post them on this site and the wonderful people on here will advise you. Good luck - I found the endo I went to see lovely. He probably doesn't know as much as the experts on this site as he is not ill with thyroid disease. but he sent me for all the eye, throat tests and scans pretty quickly. let us know how you went on. Val

[Enrid1968]

Thank you.